19/10/2024
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗤𝗟, 𝗴𝗥𝗣𝗖, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧?
Developers can choose from various client-server communication protocols when designing an application. Utilizing GraphQL, gRPC, and REST is relatively common in modern projects. Each protocol can provide multiple advantages depending on the application's requirements.
𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗤𝗟 is a flexible approach for making data requests that focuses on specific requests and provides only necessary ones. The fact that GraphQL is client-driven distinguishes it from other APIs. The client makes all the decisions instead of handling them the standard way. Its 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 is that it is language agnostic, requests are made through a single endpoint, and it is strongly typed, as it has schemas.
𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 is the most popular one. It is a great fit when a domain can be described as a set of resources. REST is a stateless architecture for data transfer. Some 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 of REST are that it is a well-established standard, is simple to use, and has good caching support.
𝗴𝗥𝗣𝗖 is a method that offers a lightweight and rapid system for obtaining data. Here, the primary distinction is how it describes its contract negotiations. It relies on contracts; the architecture is not what governs the negotiation; it is the relationship between the server and the client. While handling and calculations are delegated to a remote server housing the resource, most power is used on the client side. Its main 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 are that it has lightweight clients, is highly efficient as it uses protocol buffers to send/receive data, and is open source, too.
So, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 each of those protocols:
✅ Use 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 if you're building a CRUD-style web application or you work with well-structured data.
✅ Use 𝗴𝗥𝗣𝗖 if your API is private and about actions or if performances are essential.
✅ Use 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗤𝗟 if you have a public API that needs to be flexible in customizing requests and want to add data from different sources into a public API.
Each of these choices has specific uses and benefits. In this case, there is no clear winner, so what you should use—or, more, what you want to use—depends on your objectives and strategy.
Source: Dr Milan Milanović